


A Road for Thee and a Road for Me

by sometimes_i_right



Series: Ori'shya Tal'din (More Than Blood) [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Faith and the Force, Gen, Grief/Mourning, but other characters don't know that, character in question is very much alive, could be a little angsty to start, implied major character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:00:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29759304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sometimes_i_right/pseuds/sometimes_i_right
Summary: A sizeable portion of Bandomeer was gone, blown up in a mining incident that left Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in critical condition and the whole AgriCorps dome in smithereens.The news hit Bant like a ton of bricks.Her best friend - her first friend - had been there, on that planet, trying to build a future among the dirt and infant seedlings. And now her best friend was gone.A peek inside the Jedi Temple during the events of Mand'alor bal Kaysh Vod'ika (The Mand'alor and His Brother).
Relationships: Bant Eerin & Obi-Wan Kenobi
Series: Ori'shya Tal'din (More Than Blood) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2187186
Comments: 21
Kudos: 283





	A Road for Thee and a Road for Me

**Author's Note:**

> Yes_it_Really_is_Feeney, this is for you. I forget how many times you asked for a glimpse at what was happening in the Temple, but I was inspired enough to write a few scenes in the hopes of fitting them into the main story somewhere. Spoiler alert: they didn't fit, so here's a oneshot instead. :)

They first heard the news at latemeal. It wasn't anything that stood out in particular; the Knights and Masters who passed fragments of news along wore a mournful expression for a few brief moments before continuing on with their evenings. Luminara was the first initiate to piece everything together, though, and after that word spread through the creche like wildfire. 

A sizeable portion of Bandomeer was gone, blown up in a mining incident that left Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in critical condition and the whole AgriCorps dome in smithereens. 

The news hit Bant like a ton of bricks. 

Her best friend - her _first_ friend - had been there, on that planet, trying to build a future among the dirt and infant seedlings. And now her best friend was gone. 

Part of her knew the Force was testing her - testing her dedication to the Light Side and the Jedi Code - while the rest of her was just numb. She wanted to cry and scream at the galaxy for the unfairness of it all. She wanted to find the darkest shadowy pool in the Room of a Thousand Fountains and stay there until it all made sense. She wanted to see her friend and hear his voice again, even if it was just a holovid call from across the galaxy. She wanted so many things, and all she could do was shuffle her way through the suddenly dreary day. 

Master Vant, of course, noticed her behavior immediately. After twenty four hours of moping, Bant Eerin was pulled aside and told that she had to let go of Obi-Wan Kenobi. 

Neither Garen nor Reeft were amused by that story when they found her crying beneath Obi-Wan's favorite tree. It had taken all her prowess to keep them from marching right up to Master Vant and getting themselves in major trouble. 

If there was a mysterious uptick in pranks against Master Vant seemingly designed to make her laugh, Bant pretended not to notice. She really didn't want to encourage Quinlan or his shenanigans, but she did appreciate the effort. 

And then Luminara had to go and prove that she truly was the smartest initiate in their clan by actually talking to Master Yoda. 

Bant wasn't sure exactly what the mirialan had said to the old Jedi Master, but word quickly spread that a memorial service would be held for Obi-Wan at the end of the week. Chun had some mean things to say about why it took the masters so long to organize the service, but Bant refused to listen to him. 

The end of the week arrived, and Bant donned a borrowed mourning cloak, raised the hood, and followed her friends to the Hall of Remembrance. A small collection of items - a set of initiate's whites and a handful of model starships - were carefully arranged on the marble plinth. 

A Jedi had no need for material possessions, and Obi-Wan Kenobi had always strived to be the best Jedi possible, so of course he had very few items to his name. It still felt like something was missing, like a uniform and some toys did not adequately describe the wonderful, brilliant, dedicated boy Bant missed so dearly. 

Master Yoda stepped forward and delivered some words. Bant tried to pay attention, but her mind was still trying to figure out what was absent. 

As the Jedi Master finished and lit the pyre with the Force, Bant finally realized what was missing. 

Obi-Wan Kenobi's spirit was not here. His lightsaber was gone, turned into stardust in the Outer Rim, and he had not spent enough time with any of the items here to leave an impression. 

One with the Force or not, Obi-Wan Kenobi was really, truly gone. 

Six days after a mining accident on Bandomeer tore her first, best, and, for a time, only friend to pieces, Bant Eerin cried. 

-0- 

It was difficult to let go, but Bant was determined to succeed. Obi-Wan would have been disappointed to know that his death was causing her so much grief, and it felt awful to disappoint her friend, even if he was too dead to care. She spent hours in meditation, seeking strength from the Force, and earned more than a few murmured praises for her efforts from the teaching masters. 

It sucked that those praises were because Obi-Wan was dead. It sucked even more when she realized more than one apprentice-less Knight was considering training her, despite her young age. 

That realization almost sent her spiraling into horror and self-recrimination. If their places had been reversed, would Obi-Wan have become a Padawan? Was it fair that she would become a Padawan _because_ Obi-Wan was gone? 

It was a scary train of thought, and Bant assigned herself more hours of meditation to sort through it. 

Weeks passed in a blur of meditation and lessons, and Bant was proud to say the Obi-Wan-sized hole in her life was starting to become less raw. She still felt uncomfortable any time a Knight approached, but it hurt a little bit less with each day. 

Which of course meant something had to come and shake things up. 

Quinlan started to act a little shifty around her, like he knew some great secret and wasn't sure if he should spoil the surprise or not. It was irritating, especially from him, since Bant had no idea whether it was some juicy Temple gossip she should dismiss, a precursor to the initiate training salles being closed for a month _again,_ or something else entirely. 

But because the Force loved to test her, it had to be the latter. 

"It-- ah," Quinlan stuttered as he stared helplessly down at Bant after she cornered him one afternoon. He tugged at his tunics in an attempt to restore his non-existent dignity, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I wasn't sure it was true and I didn't want to give you hope?" 

Bant snorted. "You know this is only making it worse, right?" 

From the smirk on Padawan Vos's face, he was very much aware of how curiosity and anticipation could burn away at a person. 

Bant rolled her eyes and threw a playful punch into his shoulder. "Just tell me what it is already." 

"So you know how Master Tholme is training me to become a Shadow?" he asked. Bant nodded unhappily, wondering not for the first time how wise it was to put a psychometric like Quinlan in regular contact with Dark artifacts. "Don't give me that look, Bant. It's just as much information gathering as artifact hunting," he scolded. 

"Anyways," he continued with a pout that rapidly sobered into a frown, "I heard a rumor from _someone_ that there's a mysterious Force sensitive human boy, about Padawan age, with bright red hair running around." 

Bant froze, her breath stuttering to a halt in her chest and her already large eyes widening even further. "No," she murmured. "It can't be…" 

"Yeah, I know," Quinlan said, resting one gloved hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. He's gone, and this rumor is really not helping things." 

Bant nodded and desperately tried to center herself. She knew Obi-Wan was dead. The AgriCorps facility was gone, and so was Obi-Wan. There was no reason for her heart to light up with _hope_ at a mere _rumor,_ not when the grim reality of the galaxy kept dragging it down. 

But maybe… maybe he survived. Master Jinn had survived, and the Force adored Obi-Wan so much more than some stuffy old Master. Why would the Force allow Master Jinn to survive but not Obi-Wan? 

But if Obi-Wan had survived, why hadn't he contacted anyone? Why didn't he call home? 

"Are you okay?" Quinlan interrupted, voice gentle for such a notoriously insensitive boy. 

Bant sniffled and nodded, tucking her unexpected hurt away for later contemplation. "Yeah. I'll be fine. I'm going to… go. Meditate a bit," she said, gesturing vaguely. 

Quinlan gave her a look she was not in the right mindset to interpret. "Okay, if you say so. I'll see you at dinner, yeah?" 

"Yeah," she chirped automatically as she made her way around the Padawan. She continued to feel Quinlan's concerned gaze on her back well after she reached Obi-Wan's favorite tree. 

-0- 

She should really stop listening to Temple gossip, but it was hard to avoid when it was all her fellow initiates would talk about. She missed the days when everyone talked about who got the highest test scores and when the juiciest story was how Knight So-And-So came back from Wherever-They-Went after being chased by local fauna/flora/sentients _again._

The latest rumor was about Master Koon, the scary looking Master with gooey insides who was, according to Temple lore, single-handedly responsible for finding a third of all younglings in the creche. Bant had to roll her eyes at that story. There were thousands of initiates housed at the Coruscant Temple. The numbers simply did not add up for a single Jedi to have brought a third of them home. 

Master Koon was being sent to join Master Jinn in finding a "lost initiate." Bant did not consider herself one to cling to hope, but between Quinlan's rumor, the people involved, and that very specific phrasing, Bant couldn't help but be suspicious. 

How did someone lose an initiate? Everyone was so careful whenever they left the Temple, always counting heads and making sure every youngling had a buddy. Stars, her friends still laughed at how _many_ times Master M'yan had counted heads during their trip to Ilum! 

The only person Bant could think of that could possibly fit the term "lost initiate" was Obi-Wan. And maybe it was her bias kicking in - maybe her world was too small and too narrow to know it was actually some other initiate from a different clan - but Bant had a feeling it really was her friend. 

With that thought firmly in mind, Bant took her first free afternoon and sought out Master Koon. 

She found the man in the Archives, and hesitated at the edge of the dataterminal bank. He felt warm and inviting and the rumors certainly indicated the Master was very kind, but she was still intimidated by his height and the fact she couldn't read his face through the mask and goggles. 

The kel dor must have sensed her presence - had probably sensed her presence long ago, actually, since he was a Jedi Master and she was a mere Initiate - and turned to face her with a gentle, "What can I do to help, youngling?" 

Bant fought to keep the scowl from her face. She was almost eleven and not a youngling anymore. "You're Seeking Obi-Wan Kenobi, aren't you?" she demanded. 

If the Jedi Master was surprised by her blunt statement, he gave no indication. He tilted his head in question, "Are you one of his friends?" 

Are you, not were you. Present tense, not past. Bant felt her mouth firm into a line. 

"I am," she declared boldly before she hesitated. The kel dor continued to wait patiently, observing her from behind his oxygen filtration equipment. "If you… find him," alive, since apparently he very much _was_ alive, "could you… tell him something?" 

Master Koon shifted, his whole body moving so it looked like he was seconds away from wrapping her in a hug. Bant felt the corners of her mouth tilt up and took a deep breath to help find her center. It was not agreement - the Jedi Master may not be able to confirm his mission with her - but it was also not a rejection. 

But what to tell Master Koon? What to say to Obi-Wan? She had so many questions and demands, and her feelings regarding the whole thing were still kind of messy despite _hours_ spent in meditation. 

"Could you tell him that I hope he's okay, and that Bant Eerin would really like a holocall?" she settled on, taking note of how her heart felt like it broke a little. _If_ Obi-Wan had survived the Bandomeer explosion, then he had to have a good reason not to call. Maybe… maybe he had moved on, like she should have what felt like years ago. Or maybe this really was just a rumor, and she was being too damned hopeful for her own good. 

"Is that your name?" the kel dor asked. 

"Yeah-- er, yes, Master. I'm Bant Eerin, part of Bear Clan." 

It felt like the kel dor smiled at her, and Bant slowly smiled back. "I shall keep your words in mind, Initiate Eerin," he promised gravely. 

Bant nodded, and quickly turned that into a bow. "Thank you, Master," she said. "May the Force be with you." 

"May the Force be with you," the kel dor returned, watching as Bant turned and left the Archives. 

The Master hadn't promised to pass on her message, but he also hadn't quite explicitly confirmed Obi-Wan was even alive. Still, she had done what she could. 

Obi-Wan's fate was up to the Force now, as it always had been. 

-0- 

Bear Clan was settling down for their evening meditation when the door sliding open interrupted them. An unfamiliar Padawan peeked inside, bowed, and promptly stuttered, "Ah, hello, Master. I'm, um, here for Bant Eerin? I, uh, I was told she'd be… here." 

Master Vant dismissed Bant with a curious look, and Bant obediently trotted behind the nervous Padawan all the way to the long range comm center. 

There, looking completely inscrutable behind that dreaded T-shaped visor, was a holo of a fully armored Mandalorian. Bant felt her breath catch, memories of their recent lessons on the Mandalorian Excision running through her head. 

She swallowed nervously and glanced at her guide. The Padawan offered a weak smile and gestured towards the projector's pickup range. "They, um, asked for you by name," the Padawan explained apologetically. 

The words must have been picked up by the comm center's microphones as the Mandalorian's helmet turned to stare unerringly at the two of them. Bant felt her blood freeze as it felt like the Mandalorian picked apart her weaknesses and weighed the best ways to kill her using nothing but their bare hands. 

"Bant?" the Mandalorian asked, and Bant felt her brow pucker in confusion. That voice sounded familiar, but surely… 

The Mandalorian reached up and tugged off their helmet, and just like that the illusion of barely-restrained bloodshed shattered. A human boy, hair all disheveled, gave a confused look in her general direction. Bant squealed and raced forwards, barely catching herself from slamming into the comm table entirely. 

"Obi-Wan!" she exclaimed, gaze running up and down her friend's armored form. "Oh, Obi-Wan, I'm so glad you're okay. _Are_ you okay? When we heard what happened on Bandomeer we thought--" 

Obi-Wan laughed, a bright, wonderful, vaguely overwhelmed sound that eased Bant's heart. "Yeah, Bant, I'm fine. _Actually_ fine," he insisted as Bant opened her mouth to question him. "It's been… a wild few months." 

"Yeah, I'd say!" Bant agreed. "Tell me about them." 

Her friend did, starting with being sent to a spice freighter by a former Jedi, touching on his wild escape with Jango Fett, and meandering through their adventures with Hondo Ohnaka and his pirate gang. It was utterly captivating; the infiltration of a crooked governor's castle to retrieve some stolen armor and free the peasantry from oppression, the defeat of an evil warlord while surrounded by the warlord's minions, the dramatic toppling of an illegal empire built on the enslavement of Republic citizens… 

Bant was enthralled. These were the sorts of stories Initiates could only dream of before they sighed and said it was up to the Force whether they would get such exciting opportunities to serve the galaxy. That Obi-Wan had faced all of this in only a few months was… incredible. 

The Force obviously loved her best friend. She was actually almost a little jealous. 

But looking closer, it was equally obvious that these experiences had changed Obi-Wan. He stood different, tall and proud but also a little more worn. He had been tested in ways Bant wasn't sure she wanted to be tested, seen things Bant was certain she didn't want to see, and had come out the other side different. Still Obi-Wan, but… different. 

"I'm glad you're okay," she said softly as Obi-Wan concluded the story on Gala with the death of an evil Jedi-turned-slaver. 

Obi-Wan shifted uncomfortably and changed the subject, "So what's been happening at the Temple?" 

Bant smiled sadly as she recounted everything she could. Some of the pranks Quinlan had pulled before Obi-Wan's funeral had been genuinely funny, and the two of them enjoyed speculating on what the Padawan's punishments had been. Siri Tachi had made it her personal mission to become the best lightsaber duelist in their clan now that Obi-Wan was gone, and Bruck Chun and Aalto were as obnoxious as ever. 

"Are you okay? Have Bruck or Aalto been giving you grief?" Obi-Wan asked, concern twisting his features. 

"No more than usual," Bant answered with a shrug. "I've gotten really good at meditating, and that's attracted some attention from several potential masters. Bruck and Aalto can't do too much between the extra attention and Garen and Reeft." 

Obi-Wan settled, looking relieved. "I'm glad to hear you're still doing okay. Do you expect an offer any time soon? Any masters you particularly want?" 

"Of course!" Bant said with a wide smile. "I'm still a bit young to be a Padawan, so I haven't really thought about which Master I would like. But I'm sure whoever the Force guides to pick me will be a good match." 

Something in Obi-Wan's smile shifted, and if Bant didn't know better she would almost call it brittle. "I'm glad to hear it. I'm sure your Master will be great," he said a little oddly. 

Bant fiddled with her sleeve, taking in Obi-Wan's tone and the fact he was definitely not wearing anything close to Jedi robes. "So… what's the deal now? Are you still in AgriCorps or…?" 

"I left the Order. Master Koon released me from the Initiate's Oath," Obi-Wan said with a small smile. "I'm living with Jango in the Mandalore Sector now. He's training me to become an ori'ramikad - a supercommando - and then I think we're going to become bounty hunters or mercenaries." 

"A bounty hunter? You?" Bant asked, surprised. 

Obi-Wan pouted, and Bant knew he would have crossed his arms if he didn't have his helmet tucked under one arm. "It's a legal profession! And we did a lot of good running around the galaxy, taking out bad guys." 

Bant tilted her head and smiled sadly. "Yeah, it sounds like you did," she soothed before her brow puckered in a scowl and she admitted, "You know, we really did think you were dead." 

"I really am sorry you had to go through that, Bant," Obi-Wan said sincerely. His eyes, so much smaller than her own but somehow infinitely more expressive, locked onto hers as he begged, "Forgive me?" 

"Like I have anything to forgive," Bant scoffed, pink skin already smoothing into an easy smile. 

Obi-Wan smiled back, a familiar expression of warmth and comfort and belonging, before his attention was diverted to something out of his projector's range. "I have to go. Jango just called for dinner." 

"It's good to see someone else has taken over the care and feeding of Obi-Wan Kenobi," she teased. "I'll miss you, but it was good to hear from you. Take care, and may the Force be with you." 

"Hey! I am perfectly capable of feeding myself," Obi-Wan protested. Bant gave him a skeptical look that made Obi-Wan roll his eyes. "Whatever. Don't believe me then. Take care, may the Force be with you, and maybe we'll meet again, Bant." 

Bant kept a smile on her face as Obi-Wan shuffled his helmet around to fiddle with the armor on his forearm. The projection flickered and vanished, leaving a promise and a benediction where her friend used to be. 

She sighed to the empty room. 

Her friend was alive and well. _She_ was alive and well. The Force may be sending them down different paths, but the Force had protected her friend and her faith was stronger now than ever before. 

They would see each other again, one day. 

**Author's Note:**

> Luminara had to talk to Yoda about getting Obi-Wan a pyre because, as far as most of the Order cared, Obi-Wan was a corpsman at the time of his supposed death. The AgriCorps was supposed to handle his funeral pyre, not the Knights, and no one registered that the bulk of Obi-Wan's peer group were still with the Knights.


End file.
